So, that’s why Logan Smith would joke in front of Leah Carter, Ryan Clark, and the others that if you shouted “Pierre” in the bar, at least a third of the people would answer.

When people in the village talked about these Pierres and Guillaumes, they would always add a qualifier about whose family they belonged to, otherwise it would be impossible to tell them apart.

In quite a few families, the father and children even had the same name, both called Pierre or Guillaume, so the neighbors could only use “old,” “big,” or “little” to distinguish them.

“Dad, why aren’t you going to the village square to chat with the others?” Raymond Craig walked up to his father.

The men in the village loved gathering under the elm tree in the square or at someone’s house, playing dice, cards, chess, and discussing all sorts of rumors—going to the tavern cost money, after all.

Peter Craig held a glass of red wine, turned his head, and glanced at his second son:

“I’ll go in a bit. There probably aren’t many people in the square right now.”

That’s right, where had all the men in the village gone? Logan Smith was suddenly puzzled.

Just now, when he was at the square, he hadn’t seen a single person.

“Uncle, I wanted to ask you something.” Logan Smith said directly.

Peter Craig immediately became wary:

“A new prank?”

The story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” really did have some basis in reality… Logan Smith turned his head, signaling for Raymond Craig to speak.

Raymond Craig organized his words and said, “Dad, the wizard legend you told me about—how long ago did it actually happen? The one where it took nine oxen to pull the coffin.”

Peter Craig gulped down some wine and said in confusion, “Why are you asking about that?

“That’s a story your grandfather told me when I was a kid.”

The province of Reston, where Cordu Village was located, along with the neighboring provinces of Aulay and Suhit, were all in the south of the Republic of Intis, a famous wine-producing region. The wine here, especially the cheap kind, was extremely inexpensive. In some years, people could even drink wine like water.

Raymond Craig felt a wave of disappointment, since his grandfather had passed away long ago.

Just then, Peter Craig added,

“Your grandfather said he saw it with his own eyes when he was a child. Ever since then, he was afraid of owls, worried that those evil creatures would steal his soul.”

Logan Smith and Raymond Craig’s eyes lit up at the same time.

There really was a clue!

That wizard legend was actually something some people had experienced themselves?

“Did Grandpa ever say where that wizard originally lived, or where he was buried later?” Raymond Craig pressed.

Peter Craig shook his head:

“Who would care about that?”

Seeing that Raymond Craig still wanted to ask more, Logan Smith reached out and patted him, saying loudly, “Time to go to the riverbank.”

Raymond Craig was about to follow Logan Smith out when Peter Craig suddenly remembered something:

“Wait, Raymond Craig, in a couple of days you’ll be going to work as a ‘field watcher.’ I need to tell you some things to watch out for.”

A “field watcher” was responsible for patrolling the highland pastures and surrounding fields near the village, to prevent anyone from grazing livestock during the forbidden period or letting animals damage the young crops.

Logan Smith didn’t stay to listen and went to the tavern’s washroom.

When he came out, he deliberately passed by the foreign lady who was drinking pale red wine and whose age was hard to determine.

Although he wasn’t the type to strike up a conversation, he wanted to observe in advance and gather details. When the time was right, this might come in handy—just like when he used Ryan Clark, Leah Carter, and the others to catch the parish priest in the act.

After glancing over a few times without being noticed, Logan Smith prepared to go around the corner to the tavern entrance to wait for Raymond Craig.

At that moment, the lady in the orange dress, with a lazy air about her, lifted her head.

Logan Smith’s gaze, which he hadn’t managed to withdraw in time, met hers directly.

For a moment, even someone as thick-skinned as Logan Smith felt a bit awkward.

A string of thoughts flashed through his mind:

Should I imitate the parish priest or the administrator, take the opportunity to compliment her beauty and turn my observation into a conversation, or should I act shy and hurriedly turn away…

Just as he made up his mind, the lady smiled and spoke:

“Have you been dreaming a lot lately?”

In an instant, Logan Smith felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. His whole mind went numb, and all his thoughts froze.

It was only a second or two before he forced a smile and said, “Isn’t dreaming a perfectly normal thing?”

The lady propped her chin on one hand, looked Logan Smith up and down, and chuckled softly, “Dreams shrouded in thick fog.”

How does she know… Logan Smith’s pupils instantly dilated, and a hint of fear appeared in his expression.

Although he’d been through a lot, he was still young, and for a moment he couldn’t control his expression.

Calm down, calm down… Logan Smith tried to steady himself and relaxed his facial muscles, countering, “Did you overhear the story I told those three outsiders last night?”

The lady didn’t answer. Instead, she took a deck of cards from the orange handbag on the chair beside her.

She looked at Logan Smith again and smiled, “Draw a card. Maybe it’ll help you uncover the secret hidden in that dream.”

This… Logan Smith was both surprised and suspicious.